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Apples, Cinnamon, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin…these are the flavors of the season. We go crazy for lattes, pie, cookies, candles, everything and anything containing those ingredients or scents. All the while, someone close to you is feeling very left out. Your best friend! Staring at you with those big eyes (I have an expert beggar on my hands), hoping you’ll be kind enough to share a bite.
Don’t leave your dog out when you’re celebrating the tastes of the season! Apples, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin are actually all very common ingredients in homemade dog treats. Dogs love these flavors and they are really healthy for your pup. Homemade dog treats are super simple to make and you can easily tailor the recipe for any special diets. So next time you’re in the baking mood, whip up a quick batch of healthy homemade dog treats for your pooch!
Olive was very patient in letting me photograph her before eating these cookies. They are her new favorite treat!
I just know your pooch will love these biscuits as much as Olive did, so don’t let fall pass without baking them up at your house too. They’re also great as hostess gifts for pet-loving pals. Imagine the delight when your friends get to indulge in pumpkin cheesecake trifles and their pooch gets a mason jar full of homemade dog treats!
Homemade Dog Treats
Ingredients:
For Peanut Butter Pumpkin Treats:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oats (optional if your dog is on a grain free diet, sub an extra 1/4 cup grain free flour)
- 3 cups whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, or gluten free flour
- 3 tablespoons of all natural peanut butter
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
For Sweet Potato Treats:
- 1 cup of canned sweet potato (you can sub fresh if you want)
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, or gluten free flour
- 1 egg (beaten)
For Apple Carrot Treats:
- 1 cup of whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, or gluten free flour
- 1 cup of grated carrots
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
Directions:
For Peanut Butter Pumpkin Treats:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In small bowl, stir together the flour, oats, and cinnamon.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter until combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry.
- Pour onto a floured surface and roll dough out to 1/2 thick. Cut out using cookie cutter.
- The dough will be a little sticky, a dusting of flour for your hands and the rolling pin will help! Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.
- Place on cooling racks and let cool thoroughly. They will harden as they cool.
For Sweet Potato Treats:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Stir ingredients together in a large bowl until dough forms.
- Roll dough into small balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Press dough down slightly so the biscuits are about about 1/4 inch thick. Bake until golden brown and let cool on a wire rack.
For Apple Carrot Treats:
- Preheat oven 350°F.
- Mix ingredients together until dough forms.
- Roll dough into small balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press dough down slightly so the biscuits are about about 1/4 inch thick.
- Bake until golden brown and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes:
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Treats:
- These are the treats that are pictured.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt can be added to these treats to help extend the shelf life but, it is optional.
- Cinnamon is fine to use in recipes for dogs, however do not use a pumpkin spice blend or anything that could contain nutmeg. It is toxic to dogs and even in small amounts can make them sick.
Sweet Potato Treats:
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt can be added to these treats to help extend the shelf life but, it is optional.
For Apple Carrot Treats:
- If the dough is really sticky, add a few more tablespoons of flour.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt can be added to these treats to help extend the shelf life but, it is optional.
- Peanut Butter Pumpkin Treats are adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen.
- Sweet Potato Treats are adapted from Brown Eyed Baker.
- Apple Carrot Treats are adapted from For the Love of Pooch.
Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you're baking from MBA! Be sure to tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes!
These look amazing Lindsay. Really happy to see you including a grain free option for these yummy dog treats :)
Looking forward to making some of these
Lauren,
Thank you so much! The pups with different diets should have special treats too! Have a great day.
Lindsay
I made a small batch of the pumpkin for my newfie, Big Mama, she LOVED them!! I’ve decided to make all these recipes as gifts for my friends’ pets for Christmas. I bought cute jars like you had on the picture with your dog. I’m so excited!! I do have one question though, my dog loves bananas, do you have a recipe for anything with those?
Thanks!
Tera,
I don’t have any recipes for banana treats but, in the carrot/apple treats you can substitute mashed banana for the apple sauce. For the two other recipes sub half the amount of sweet potato or pumpkin for mashed banana, I would also add a couple more tablespoons of flour to the mixture. If you try this, stop back and let us know! Thanks so much!
Lindsay
Thank you so much.
You’re so welcome!
Lindsay
Hi, I wanted to know how long do these last? and what would be the best storage for them in the fridage or an airtight container?
Thanks!
Lizmarie,
The treats could be stored in either a ziploc or an airtight container. They will last about 2 weeks (in the fridge), or a week or so left out. Make sure you bake them long enough. Baking them until they are hard and brown will help with a longer shelf life.
Lindsay
So I made a few batches of these for gifts. The carrot and apple Sauce ones went green on me after 2 days…not sure why?? Any suggestions?? Thanks!!
Mary,
It’s the moisture content of the cookie. Next time bake them longer, you want them to be hard. This will help! You can also reduce the amount of wet ingredients to make a drier treat that will last longer. And lastly, these do not have any preservatives so I would keep them in the fridge to get a longer shelf life. Thanks so much!
Lindsay
I just made the pumpkin treats for my Golden. I gave him one out of the first batch and he absolutely loves them and wont stop begging for more! I’m still baking the rest and he won’t leave the kitchen. He’s never been like this for a treat. Thanks for the recipe!
Amanda,
Aw, that’s great to hear! Thanks so much for stopping back to let us know!
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you for putting out recipes that my dog loves and are easy to make. It’s nice to know exactly what she’s eating. I do have one question though…I made the Apple Carrot Treats recently but think I did something wrong. The dough was very wet and sticky. It was hard to work with. I followed the recipe exactly so I don’t know where I went wrong. My cookies came out the texture of a macaroon (which my dog still loves) but is this correct?
Thanks,
Mary (& Ellie)
Mary,
They should be a little harder than that. Next time I would reduce the amount of applesauce and up the flour to get a harder cookie. Also, make sure you are baking the treats until they are brown and fairly hard. Your pup won’t mind eating a hard treat! Thanks!
Lindsay
Thank you! Been hunting the internet for snacks for my dog with liver disease. She has to eat low protein. These are perfect! I substituted the whole egg for two egg whites and I think this should work.
Susanne
Hi!
These are perfect! Question – How long do you think they will be good for? These are for a gift and I’m wondering how soon I can make them or how close to the day I should wait.
Thank You!
Jennifer,
I would try to make them as close to the day you are gifting them as possible…or you could make them and freeze them. Since they do not have preservatives they will not last like store-bought treats. Once made store in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge. Also, make sure you bake them long enough that they are hard and brown, this will help with the shelf life. Thanks so much!
Lindsay
I use the twice-bake method with my dog biscuits – having baked them until they are brown on both sides, I turn off the oven and leave them until the next morning. Result is crunchy biscuits that my ESS love, and they keep for weeks! Looking forward to trying your recipes –
I’m so glad you wrote this. I just made the pumpkin ones and they appear to be browned, but they’re still soft. I guess our dog will get softer ones the 1st time around. I’ll make a note and get them crunchier for next time. :)
Michelle-
I’m glad you got the chance to try them. Thanks for visiting.
-Jamie
Hello! i’m really interested in making the Peanut Butter Pumpkin treats. my question is, i want to ship them to a friend of mine(they are for her dog for xmas) and i was wondering if you have any advice on how to ship them.
thanks!
Rachel,
I would ship them in a cheap lightweight tupperware container or a ziploc bag, then wrap that in plenty of bubble wrap or newspaper and pack in a small box. Make sure to mark the package “fragile” so they don’t arrive as a bunch of crumbs! Thanks so much!
Lindsay
All three of these dog treats look good! I am sure my two greyhounds will love them! Thank you for posting them so that all us dog lovers can make good simple treats for our favorite furkids!
Claudia, Dell and Will
Claudia,
You’re so welcome! I’m happy that I could share some healthy recipes for the pups! Stop back and let us know how your pooches like the treats!
Lindsay